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Plato Statement of the Individual & Society

Plato presents an explicit statement of the relationship between the individual and society--even an unjust society--in the form of the "Apology," the statement of Socrates to the court that finally sentences him to death. The speech represents the conflict between the power of the state and the integrity of the individual. The court gives Socrates an out if he recants his teachings, and he will not do it. Socrates represents the primary social value of inquiry, of the pursuit of philosophy, of the examination of the meaning of life. He also represents integrity, for when we inquire into the meaning of existence and develop a set of beliefs, we must live up to those beliefs. Socrates believes the unexamined life is not worth living, and if he accepts the right of the court to judge his thoughts, he has lost his integrity. Socrates is a poor man who is rich in intellect and in dedication. His followers carry on his ideas for him, and though they may want to save him, he talks them out of it because to escape would be to go against his principles.

There are two sets of charge against Socrates, as he notes in his speech. The first is called the older or more ancient accusation, while the second is referred to a the contemporary accusation. Socrates dreads the older of the two the most because he has many accusers for this issue and because he cannot name them all, while for the second he can name the three or four men who have brought the charge against him. The older charge is simply that Socrates is an evil-doer and also someone who is peculiar and just does not fit in with everyone else in Athenian society. The reason for this is someone who looks into the things of this world and the next and who teaches his doctrines on these topics to others, that he is a teacher and takes money for his teaching. The second set of accusations also hold that Socrates is an evil-doer and that he is a corrupter of youth, that he does n...

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Plato Statement of the Individual & Society. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 06:51, March 29, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1703201.html